Season's Greetings to Everyone!!!

A good day to everyone! I hope everyone had a great Christmas. Now, the new year is coming. I wish everyone all the best in the coming year. I am glad to hear that Sharlene has received Good Progress Award this year. She has finally "progressed"! Haha! In fact, she should have received it last year!

Anyway, congratulations to the others who have received that award too!

I came back from Taiwan two days again on Christmas Day. I regretted that I could not reply some of your messages and emails during my absence. I did not answer your calls as the cost of answering was very expensive. You know what I mean? :P

Teenage snatch thief nabbed within five hours

This is a news report about a crime happening around Hougang vicinity. I do not know the reason for the teenager to snatch the woman's purse. Apparently, she did it to get money to satisfy her desire. There have been a number of cases of young children, or juvenile, committing crimes. Do not think no one will catch you. Look at the effectiveness of our police force. A single packet of drink would lead the police to the culprit in just five hours. So, think twice before you even want to commit such petty crime.

A packet drink was the clue which led to the arrest of a 14-year-old female snatch thief on Saturday.

The victim, a 68-year-old Chinese woman was on her way home from marketing when she was robbed.

The woman had entered the lift of Blk 710, Hougang Avenue 2 with the teenager.

When the lift door opened on the ninth floor, the teenager snatched the woman's purse, containing $50 and a $400 gold watch before dashing out and fleeing down the stairs.

The woman told the police that the girl was holding a drink while committing the crime.

When conducting extensive enquiries in the vicinity of the crime scene, shopkeeper Mr Sevathamaricar informed the officers that a girl fitting the description by the victim had earlier bought a drink from him and that he had often seen her in the neighbourhood.

The teenager's identity was eventually established through follow-up interviews with residents in the estate. The stolen watch and cash were also recovered from the suspect's possession.

Commending Mr Sevathamaricar for his cooperation and public spiritedness, Superintendent Lee Chin Ek stressed the importance of the community's help for police to resolve crime cases quickly.

The accused will be charged in the Juvenile Court for snatch theft.

Cold theft, hot pursuit

This is one good newspaper report you can make use for your writings. Of course, you cannot blindly copy everything here. Read the report and extract the relevant information for your writing next time.

A routine delivery of ice turned into a police chase lasting 60 minutes and covering 50km after a truck was stolen. Khoo How San reports, with contributions from Teh Joo Lin, Arlina Arshad & Tracy Sua

HE TRIED HIS BEST TO STOP THE THIEF: Deliveryman Wunna Swa demonstrates how he tried to get the thief's attention by waving to him. Behind him is the truck that was stolen. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM

View more photos

'JUST one more delivery before lunch,' Mr Wunna Swa, 27, thought to himself as he glanced at his watch yesterday. The time: 11.15am.

The Myanmar national also reminded himself to keep the engine running so that the ice in the back of his truck would not melt.

Then, off he went to deliver some 18kg of ice to a florist in Ang Mo Kio Central.

It took Mr Swa only two minutes to do that. His truck was still within sight but when he returned, he saw a man climbing into the driver's seat - it was a scene he will long remember.

With the engine already running, the 'ice-jacker' made a quick getaway.

Mr Swa tried running after the Mitsubishi Canter refrigerated truck as it wended its way out of the open carpark. Exhausted, he took out his mobile phone and called his manager.

VIDEO 'Hollywood-style' car chase in Singapore (2:05)

The chase begins

'I WAS scared to lose my job. I chased...but could not catch up,' Mr Swa said.

'So, I called my manager on my cellphone. My manager called my big boss who called me and picked me up at Ang Mo Kio,' he added.

Mr Alex Goh, 55, director of Uni-Tat Ice and Marketing, which owns a fleet of 39 refrigerated trucks, including the one hijacked, was at home when his operations manager, Mr Kelvin Tan, 36, called him on his mobile phone.

'At first, my driver thought a colleague was playing a joke on him,' said Mr Goh. But it soon hit him that it was no joke.

Back at the office, Mr Tan knew what had to be done next.

Half the fleet was equipped with global positioning system (GPS) satellite tracking devices, as a truck had been stolen previously. In another occasion, a driver had used a truck for cigarette smuggling.

Flipping some switches, it did not take Mr Tan long to locate where the runaway truck was. He called Mr Goh again, as well as the police.

Later, as the police gave chase, Mr Tan was to serve as the 'link', relaying messages between the police and Mr Goh, who also joined the pursuit in his Toyota Land Cruiser Prado.

Mr Goh described to The Straits Times what followed. He picked up Mr Swa from the Ang Mo Kio Central carpark and called Mr Tan. The truck was now at Yio Chu Kang.

He said: 'The police started tracking the lorry at Hougang Avenue 4. At first there were just one or two police cars.

'I drove in my Toyota Land Cruiser Prado to join the chase, and we caught up at Yio Chu Kang Road.

'When I got there, I saw nine police cars in what looked like a convoy, with the lorry on the right-most lane.

'I drove alongside the lorry, side by side. I was in the middle lane on its left.

'The lorry's windows were wound down and its speed then was about 30kmh.'

The GPS log was to show that during the chase, the speed reached 76kmh at one time.

'I saw the driver, who looked like an Indian,' Mr Goh said.

'I shouted to him two or three times: 'Annah (Tamil for elder brother), surrender, surrender. Stop'.'

But Mr Goh said the man shook his head and briefly waved his hands as if to say 'No, no, no'.

What Mr Goh said next could have come out of a Hollywood movie script.

'I asked Wunna if he could try to jump into the truck and take out the key. Wunna said OK. At that time, I was scared that the man would knock someone down because he was driving so recklessly.

'Two times, once at a traffic light in Yio Chu Kang Road and a second time when the traffic slowed down in Sin Ming, we found an opportunity. But before Wunna could go over to jump into the truck, it sped off.

'I then received a call from Mr Tan. He told me that the police asked me not to go too close to the truck,' he said.

Later, it was found that the chase had gone on for an hour. Distance covered: 50km.

The chase ends

THE chase ended at Sin Ming Drive. The rogue driver seemed unfamiliar with the area. He drove into Vicom Vehicle Inspection Centre and then out.

He then drove into a ComfortDelgro workshop.

Mr Goh was still tailing him, all the way in.

The police posse too.

'As soon as the police cars had got in, I quickly got out of my car and closed the exit gate so he wouldn't be able to drive out,' Mr Goh said.

But time was lost. The lorry was found abandoned and the culprit had disappeared in the vast compound.

The police looked for the man everywhere, even in the toilets.

Then an eagle-eyed workshop employee spotted a man under a car being repaired. He realised that it was not a mechanic as the man was not wearing a uniform.

The employee alerted the police.

After about 10 minutes, the man crawled out and did not put up a struggle.

Mr Swa was glad the man was caught.

He said: 'When we caught him, we found invoices, $5 worth of coins, and a small Buddha statue my mother gave me missing from the dashboard. I was very angry because the statue was very precious to me.

'This is the first time something like this has happened to me. I was very worried, and scared.'

A man has been arrested and police are investigating the case.

The ice in the truck was found intact.

Top PSLE student sets new record with 294 score

Natasha, 12, (centre) whose father is a technician and mum,
a housewife, is from the gifted education stream.

A ST HILDA'S Primary pupil has scored a record 294 in the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), beating the previous high of 292 set in 1993.

Natasha Muhamad Nasir, 12, eclipsed the record set by Nanyang Primary's Justin Lau in 1993.

Her score was 'outstanding', said the Singapore Examination and Assessment Board (SEAB) spokesman, as it was a good six points ahead of the next highest score of 288.

At St Hilda's on Thursday, Natasha, flanked by her younger sister and mother, smiled shyly as reporters shot questions at her. In the background, her father was recording the scene with a camcorder.

'I was worried if I could get 4A*s,' she said. The Gifted Education Programme (GEP) pupil had found the Science paper 'tedious'.

And on the day of her first PSLE paper on Oct 3, her maternal grandfather, 74, underwent surgery for his heart at the Singapore General Hospital.

Natasha, who was very close to him, spent the PSLE exam period shuttling between hospital and home.

'He taught me a prayer to say before the exam. I would say it before each paper,' she said.

He died on Oct 30.

'I would like to dedicate my results to him. Before I sat for the PSLE, he prayed for me,' she said.

Natasha, who plays the piano and violin and is in the Scrabble club, already has a place in Raffles' Girls Secondary and plans to be a paediatrician in future.

Her parents have left nothing to chance when it comes to bringing up Natasha.

When she was still in her mother's womb, they would would read aloud to her and played music for her to listen.

Her mother, Ms Zaharah Othman, 44, quit her flight stewardess job after Natasha was born so that she can give her 'quality time'.

When Natasha was three months old, she bought her an encyclopedia set. By two and a half years, she could read a book on her own.

Ms Zaharah and her husband, Mr Muhamad Nasir Atan, 47, a Singapore Airlines technician, live in a five-room Pasir Ris flat, but they volunteered at Gongshang Primary in Tampines to get Natasha a place in the popular school.

She went to St Hilda's when she got into the GEP at Primary Four.

The last time a Malay pupil topped the PSLE was two years ago, when Adil Hakeem Mohamad Rafee from Rosyth School scored 282.

Besides Natasha, another 14 pupils scored at least 286 in the PSLE this year.

Natasha was the top Malay student, while Vanessa Malishree Dharmaratnam from Raffles Girls' School (Primary) was the top Indian pupil with a score of 285.

Top Eurasian Santa Maria Priscila Nicole from CHIJ Katong Primary scored 272.

In all, some 49,817 Primary 6 pupils sat for the PSLE this year, a drop of 1.6 per cent over last year.

A total of 48, 665, or 97.7 per cent of the pupils, did well enough to move on to secondary school.

Of these, 63.5 per cent are eligible for the Express, 22.2 per cent for the Normal (Academic) and 12 per cent for the Normal (Technical) course.

SHATTERED EARTH

This is something very interesting. I mean the picture. Actually, I am more concerned with what will happen to the very planet if we do not take good care of it. :(

A man walks with his dog along a dry cracked reservoir bed in Alcora, eastern Spain. Negotiators working on a landmark global warming report don't need to go far to see the effects of climate change: The evidence is all around Valencia, Spain, where they are meeting. -- PHOTO: AP, FERNANDO BUSTAMANTE

Happy Holiday!

Hello everyone,

Nice of you to drop by. Well, for pupils of P4-1 (2006), your year as P5 has finally come to an end. Now, all of you should be provided to P6 next year. Congratulations to all, since none of you is retained. Haha!! :P

Next year is a very critical year for all of you. It is a test of how much you have learnt in your primary school - six years of learning! For those who have been consistently doing well, do keep up the good work. For those who are still struggling with your studies, I hope you will take this coming holiday to "brush up" your work. It is never too late, it is just whether you want to put in more effort to make it better.

Please let me know how you are doing in the tag board. If you don't mind, you can tag or e-mail me your results as well.

I wish you all the best!

Boyband banned

Students of a girls' school go into a rant over their principal's decision to disallow visit by an American boyband
By Debbie Yong
Students of a girls' school go into a rant over their principal's decision to disallow visit by an American boyband.

A DISTRACTION or a form of stress relief? It seems that The Click Five inspires vastly different reactions.
BOYBANDS cause a stir with their presence, but the absence of one last week created an even bigger uproar.

Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' Secondary School (PLMGSS) had topped an online poll conducted by local radio station 987FM two weeks ago and was to be rewarded with a surprise visit from American pop-rock band, The Click Five, last Tuesday.

But apparently the school's principal said 'no' and the band visited CHIJ St Joseph's Convent (SJC) and Zhonghua Secondary School, the second- and third-ranked schools in the poll, respectively, instead.

The students found this out only on Tuesday night and one of them, a disappointed Secondary One girl, collected 300 signatures for a petition to the principal, Mrs Lee Siew Choo, to allow similar events in the future.

One of the students who signed the petition said: 'The school has misused its authority. The way the school makes decisions for its students is unjust and unfair.'

A few students felt that the school should have consulted them first. To address the concerns raised, the principal spoke to the entire cohort on the last day of the school term last Friday.

'We do encourage the students to speak up, but they need to learn that there are proper channels for addressing their concern.'
- MRS LEE SIEW CHOO, PLMGSS principal
She cited her reasons for rejecting the radio station's appeal: The principal had been given the responsibility to make decisions in the interests of the school and she was worried that the event would be a distraction for the Secondary Four students sitting for their O-Level examinations.

The pop culture element of the event also did not tie in with the school's values, she felt.

Following her address, six students wrote in separately to Stomp's Media Club website to air their disagreements with the reasons given by the school.

Said one writer, a Secondary Two student who did not want to be identified, fearing disciplinary action: 'It is an excuse to say that something small like this could be a distraction.'

A Secondary Three prefect added that she felt the school was being too rigid, especially since the examinations for the rest of the students were over by then.

The principal of SJC, Mrs Dolly Chan, said she decided to be flexible about the matter.

She saw the band's visit as a form of post-exam stress relief for her students, but she clarified: 'It should be done in moderation. We are not encouraging them to turn into groupies and follow the band everywhere.'

The six letters posted on Stomp garnered about 1,000 views each over the past week and have spurred comments both for and against the PLMGSS girls. In response, the school wrote to Stomp on Wednesday, refuting allegations made by the students online, such as the school's suspension of two students over the incident, and that students have no say in the autonomous school.

Mrs Lee explained to The Sunday Times: 'We do encourage the students to speak up, but they need to learn that there are proper channels for addressing their concern. A public forum wasn't quite the right place to do it.' She said she was 'saddened' by the language used in the forums. 'Kids nowadays tend to have many demands, and many cannot cope with the disappointment when they don't get what they want,' she said.

Outsiders have also chipped in with their views. Said an ex-teacher, in her late 20s, who declined to be named: 'Students these days are too vindictive. By going to the media, they are only ruining the reputation of the school.'

One contributor, who claimed to be an alumnus of the school, wrote: 'I am ashamed of this batch of brats...You are not mature enough to see that your principal means well. You are abusing your powers and the media.'

Student charged with abusing teacher in class

A 17-YEAR-OLD student was charged on Wednesday with using abusive language on a teacher in class earlier this year.

Jeremy Tan Wei Liang is accused of abusing Ms Tang Anqiong, 36, at Clementi Woods Secondary School at West Coast Road on April 26.

His lawyer, Mr Edmond Pereira, told the court that he would be making representations. A pre-trial conference will be held at Community Court on Dec 5.

If convicted, he faces a fine of up to $5,000 under the Miscellaneous Offences Act.

Tradition meets joy for Deepavali

Deepavali, the Festival of Lights, falls today and celebrates the victory of light over darkness. Hindus commemorate this day with enthusiasm, combining traditional beliefs and practices with the spirit of reverence, togetherness and celebration.

SETTING THE PLACE AGLOW

Mr Prakash Kejriwal, 38, lights candles with his family - son Laavanya, eight; wife Veena Prakash, 35; and daughter Esha, three - outside their home in Meyer Road as part of the Deepavali celebrations.

Hindus traditionally welcome the festival by laying broken rice on the floor in a floral pattern. Then, candles and lamps are lit around the house to mark the triumph of good over evil. The festival, also known as the Festival of Lights, is celebrated by Hindus all around the world.

HELPING THOSE BACK HOME

DEEPAVALI is a time when foreign workers here would send money home to relatives in India for the festival.

Foreign worker Ariva Lagan, 29, fills up a money transfer slip before joining the queue of about 60 people at a Western Union money transfer shop in Little India.

He's remitting $1,150 to his mother, father and sister in Tamil Nadu. He usually does this every two months after getting his salary, but this time, he is doing it two days before Deepavali so that they can buy new clothes and things for their celebrations.

He says he will call his family and friends in India to wish them well.

Today, he is going to the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, dressed in new clothes, with his Indian national friends. Many of his friends have also remitted money through Western Union to their families.

FIT FOR A GODDESS

Mohan Gurukkal, an Alankara priest, decorates a statue of Sri Mariamman, the Hindu Goddess of Rain. Hundreds are expected at Singapore's oldest Hindu temple to light oil lamps as offerings to her.

Boy, 13, trapped in flat as vandals padlock gate

POLICE had to resort to 'breaking and entering' on Wednesday - so that Mr Ng Cheng Heng could get into his Bedok Reservoir Road flat.

Vandals suspected to be loan sharks had used a lock and chain to padlock his four-room unit in Block 708, while his unsuspecting 13-year-old son was inside.

Mr Ng, 46, a marketing executive, rushed home after his wife, who had got home earlier at 6.30pm, found the grille padlocked.

Police had to break the lock.

Mr Ng was angry that the vandals had put his son at risk by trapping him inside.

He added: 'It is terrible that the loan sharks are harassing us like this, when we are not their debtors.'

Another neighbour a floor above had his unit vandalised on Tuesday.

Mr Ng, who has made a police report, said harassment of residents in his block by loan sharks acting for illegal moneylenders went back as far as 2000.

The debtor the loan sharks were after is believed to live two floors above Mr Ng's unit.

Fearing for the safety of his only son, he has got him to stay at his sister's house over the past few days, as the school holidays have started.

A woman who wanted to be known only as Madam Lim, from a unit two floors above Mr Ng's, told Lianhe Zaobao that her husband did borrow money from loan sharks previously.

But that debt had been paid off five years ago, she said.

Since 2005, repeat moneylending offenders may be sent to jail while loan sharks harassing debtors may be fined between $4,000 and $40,000 and jailed up to three years.

An amendment to the Moneylenders Act in 2005, which provides for the jail terms, came into effect last year.

The maximum fine for illegal lending is now $200,000.

Previously, a first-time offender could be fined only up to $100,000.

There were 10,221 complaints last year about unlicensed moneylenders and harassment.

The figure was 1,510 in 1995.

Gifted scheme kids to mix more with others

FROM next year, all nine primary schools offering the Gifted Education Programme (GEP) will be taking steps to get GEP pupils to mix more with those not in the programme.

GEP pupils will, on average, spend between a third and half their lesson time with their non-GEP peers.

The change follows a successful pilot project to encourage mixing, which has been running in two GEP primary schools since January.

The push for integration is in part a response to long-held criticism that the GEP is elitist and churns out students who have problems relating to their non-GEP peers.

Come next year, the nine GEP primary schools will encourage integration in either of two ways:

One is by putting GEP pupils with non-GEP pupils in the same form class, but pulling them out for core GEP classes in English, maths and science.

The other way is by keeping GEP pupils in their own classes, but getting them to join the other students for classes in physical education, art and music, among others.

Minister of State for Education Lui Tuck Yew, while visiting Nan Hua Primary, one of the nine GEP schools, said it was important to let pupils, especially brighter ones, mix with a wider group of people, so they can understand the challenges others face and find ways to learn from them.

Started in 1984, the GEP was aimed at enabling the top 1 per cent of each cohort to reach their full potential.

The programme will be discontinued in secondary schools next year, since the integrated programme schools have their own programmes for gifted students.

But GEP has continued to run in primary schools, said Rear-Admiral (NS) Lui, to uphold 'the philosophy and practice of having distinct programmes for students of higher ability'.

In recent years, letters to the press have voiced concerns that GEP students not mixing with students outside the scheme. A 2004 study of 16 GEP students by then-university student Don Shiau backed the discussion up by saying GEP students were ostracised by non-GEP ones.

At Nan Hua Primary, one of two GEP schools in this year's pilot project to encourage mixing, 44 Primary 4 GEP pupils have been 'twinned' with 45 of their non-GEP peers and divided into three classes. They attend the same classes, except in English, maths and science.

In order not to compromise academic rigour, the non-GEP pupils were picked from those in the top 2 to 5 per cent in GEP tests and from among those strong in English or maths.

The school's principal Lee Hui Feng said each of the three classes had equal numbers of GEP and non-GEP pupils, so neither group would 'feel that it was the majority, or feel lesser compared to the other'.

In a maths enrichment class yesterday, GEP pupil Celia Ong, 10, was helping Estee Leong, also 10, to build structures with plastic blocks.

Estee said it was interesting to 'work with GEP students'; Celia said she had made more friends as a result.

Overall, Rear-Adm Lui was pleased to see 'the familiarity' the pupils had with each other.

'They say they are really not so conscious of this labelling and tagging. They have a chance to interact with more students,' he said.

Besides Nan Hua and Tao Nan which were on the pilot project, Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) and Catholic High also made moves to integrate their GEP and non-GEP pupils this year.

Buying fries with my phone - Oct 30, 2007

- By Alfred Siew (Digital Life)

The cashier at McDonald's thought I was pulling a fast one when I told him I wanted to pay for my order with my cellphone last Wednesday.

He was still looking surprised after I tapped my ez-link phone onto the reader on the table and carried my food off.

The phone was a no-brand model that StarHub and EZ-Link contracted a local firm to make, and my quick test of the technology turned out to be mostly smooth.

In fact, when I turned up at the ticket counter at Sengkang MRT station to top up my phone, the staff knew - as they should - about the mobile payment trial that EZ-Link and StarHub were conducting.

Though the reader at the station had some problems detecting the phone at first and I had to restart it twice, I eventually managed to top it up with $20.

One tap and the gate opened each time - even when the phone was connected to a call.

The biggest glitch I faced during the test was with the ez-link virtual purse software on the phone.

Although it showed useful information like my last top-up amount and transaction history, it took a few good seconds to start up each time.

To be fair, this was only a test phone, but the big test is whether people will find it useful to pay with a phone. To me, it certainly felt unusual at first. But after tapping on a fare gate a few times, it became quite natural.

Multi-agency group to drive energy efficiency

By Arti Mulchand & Liaw Wy-Cin

EFFORTS by various sectors to improve energy efficiency in Singapore have been brought under a single umbrella body.

Set up in May, the Energy Efficiency Programme Office (E2PO) brings together multiple agencies from the major sectors of energy use, announced the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim on Tuesday.

The five sectors are power generation, industry, transport, buildings and households.

The first three are the largest consumers of fuel in Singapore, and electricity is primarily used by industry, buildings and homes.

'The E2PO will draw on the combined knowledge and strength of these agencies to draw up a long term plan that integrates whole-of-government efforts,' said Dr Yaacob, speaking at the Bayer Young Environmental Envoy and Eco-Minds Award Ceremony at Fullerton Hotel.

The plan will have four key thrusts. It will promote the adoption of energy efficient technologies and measures, build the capability to drive and sustain energy efficiency, raise awareness among businesses and households to stimulate energy efficient behaviour, and support research and development.

A fund will be set up to support these programmes, said the Minister.

The taskforce will be led by the National Environment Agency, and taps on over 40 other agencies, including the Building and Construction Authority, the Economic Development Board (EDB) and the Land Transport Authority.

The team will meet monthly, and is currently formulating the 'long term plan', called Energy Efficient Singapore.

Within the next six months, they will draw up 'indicators' to measure current energy efficiency in the various sectors, said NEA chief Lee Yuen Hee. Actual targets will follow.

While various agencies had their own programmes and policies, there was a need for a more 'coordinated, focused' effort, said NEA chief Lee Yuen Hee.

For example, when building a new industrial facility, incorporating energy efficiency measures at the design stage is often the most cost effective thing to do, so the EDB can work with BCA, he explained.

Other measures being look at in the other sectors include increasing the use of public transport. On this front, LTA aims to raise the proportion of users during the morning peak hour from 63 per cent to 70 per cent in the next 10 to 15 years.

LTA is also exploring how it can get cabbies to stop cruising around empty, so fuel is not wasted.

Motorists will also be able to make greener choices: NEA is studying the feasibility of making fuel economy labelling for cars mandatory. Such labelling is already compulsory for air-conditioners and refrigerators, and may be extended to other products.

NEA is also considering setting 'energy efficiency standards' to remove inefficient appliances from the market.

Dr Yaacob said that energy efficiency would help Singapore meet its energy needs, while satisfying both environmental and economic goals.

It would reduce carbon emissions, improve cost competitiveness of businesses, and improve energy security as reliance on fossil fuels goes down.

And tackling climate change need not be at the expense of economic growth, and should be seen as a 'pro-growth strategy', said the Minister. 'Ignoring it will ultimately undermine economic growth,' he added.

Oct 29, 2007 Body found in river

The body of a woman, believed to be in her 70s, was pulled out of Sungei Serangoon yesterday.

She was found floating in the river along Hougang Avenue 7 near Block 344. Police received a call at about 2.40pm.

The body was retrieved about 10 minutes later.

Anyone with information should call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000.

Brain study - Sleepy, grumpy and ... primitive?

Oct 25, 2007 (Taken from Straits Times Interactive)

Brain study - Sleepy, grumpy and ... primitive?
WASHINGTON - A FEW nights without sleep can not only make people tired and emotional, but may actually put the brain into a primitive 'fight or flight' state, researchers said on Wednesday.

Brain images of otherwise healthy men and women showed two full days without sleep seemed to rewire their brains, re-directing activity from the calming and rational prefrontal cortex to the 'fear centre' - the amygdala.

'It's almost as though, without sleep, the brain had reverted back to more primitive patterns of activity, in that it was unable to put emotional experiences into context and produce controlled, appropriate responses,' said Dr Matthew Walker of the University of California Berkeley, who led the study.

That a lack of sleep can make people grumpy is hardly news.

'We all know implicitly the link between bad sleep the night before and bad mood the next day. We are just adding the brain basis to what we knew,' Dr Walker said in a telephone interview.

Dr Walker and colleagues at Harvard Medical School used functional magnetic resonance imaging, which can scan brain activity in real time, to see what was going on in the brains of their 26 young adult volunteers.

Half were kept awake for a day, a night and another full day. The other half slept as normal.

Writing in the journal Current Biology, Dr Walker's team said they noticed profound changes in the brain activity of those volunteers who stayed up.

'We found a strong overreaction from the emotional centres of the brain,' Dr Walker said. 'It was almost as if the brain had been rewired, and connected to the fright, flight or fight area in the brain stem.'

Swinging like a pendulum
And lab workers noticed a difference in the behaviour of the sleep-deprived volunteers.

'They seemed to swing like a pendulum between the broad spectrum of emotions,' Dr Walker said. 'They would go from being remarkably upset at one time to where they found the same thing funny. They were almost giddy - punch drunk.'

Next Dr Walker wants to test people who are chronically sleep-deprived, perhaps by letting them have just 5 hours of sleep over several days. The average adult needs 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night.

He said the findings may shed light on psychiatric diseases. 'This is the first set of experiments that demonstrate that even healthy people's brains mimic certain pathological psychiatric patterns when deprived of sleep.'

'Before, it was difficult to separate out the effect of sleep versus the disease itself. Now we're closer to being able to look into whether the person has a psychiatric disease or a sleep disorder.'

A second study in the same journal suggests daylight-savings time regimes may cause similar effects. -- REUTERS

Questions from Maths PSLE 2007

Maggots can heal!

Oct 22, 2007 (Taken from Straitstimes Interactive)

Maggots may be used to heal festering wounds
NTU lab testing larvae that can hasten healing, kill 'super bug'
By Tania Tan

IN THE heart of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a research lab raising maggots that may soon be used to treat festering wounds in patients here.

These microsurgeons, which 'treat as they eat', do their job by gobbling up dead tissue and producing infection-fighting secretions, said Associate Professor Daniel Lim, director of NTU's Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Engineering Cluster.

'It's double the benefit for wound healing,' he added.

The idea is not new.

Maggot medicine was tried and tested way back in the 1800s and is now used in hospitals in Britain, Germany and the United States.

Researchers in the lab here - a collaboration between NTU and home-grown life sciences company Origin Scientia - are looking into using the larvae of a local species of fly, Lucilia cuprina, also known as green bottle.

The six-month-old lab already has a stock of 4,000 flies, which are fed a mixture of milk powder and sugar, with a side of Vitamin B-12 enriched syrup.

After the flies mate and lay their eggs, the eggs are harvested and sterilised to ensure the hatched maggots are bacteria-free.

The larvae measure barely 2mm, but are equipped with a huge appetite for dead tissue, such as those in the wounds of diabetics, which do not heal readily, or burns victims.

Sandwiched between two pieces of gauze or other type of dressing, the maggots are left up to 48hours in a wound, after which they are treated as bio-hazard waste and discarded, said Prof Lim.

If the idea of maggots eating away at your flesh turns you queasy, consider the alternative: Left untreated, necrotic or dead tissue is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria or infection that can lead to gangrene, limb amputation and - in severe cases - death.

Prof Lim said no tests have been done on patients here yet, though clinical trials are expected to start as soon as next year.

Already, doctors at Tan Tock Seng Hospital's burns unit are watching the lab's progress with interest.

The deputy head and consultant at the hospital's department of orthopaedic surgery, Dr Ooi Lai Hock, said some patients would 'definitely welcome' the alternative therapy.

Prof Lim said that while adult flies are associated with dirt and disease, maggots produce anal and oral secretions that have been shown in studies to be capable of fighting off the bacterium called Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA).

Known as the 'super bug', MRSA has evolved to become resistant to many antibiotics.

As recently as last week, a teenager in the United States died from an MRSA infection.

Beyond treating wounds, the lab hopes to one day harness the maggots' bacteria-killing abilities for use in products such as creams and serums.

Prof Lim said: 'It's a very long-term goal, but the research journey starts now.'

School uniforms given runway twist

Ordinary Singapore school uniforms were given a runway twist for Grand Finals of The New Paper New Face 2007.

To view the other pictures, you may visit the Newpaper website below.

Do you know the meaning?

I saw this notice pasted on the shutter last month. I wanted to send it to STOMP, but I was procrastinating. Anyway, guess what is wrong with it?

Reach for the M!

I titled this photograph as "Reach for the M!" Well, the "M" here does not refer to the brand name "M". The M here stands for "MAXIMUM". I hope everyone will reach for their MAXIMUM potential.

Good luck to you!

Hello everybody! I hope everyone is fine in school and at home too! Haha. Anyway, today is the last day of PSLE for the P6 pupils. For those who did not take higher mother tongue, today is an extra holiday for you! I hope all of you will do well in your PSLE. While waiting for your results, you will have to get ready for your graduation party and your whimsical moment.

For the rest of you, do work hard for the coming examinations. :D

Happy Children's Day!

http://www.GlitterMaker.com/ - Glitter Graphics - MySpace Layouts - Site Clocks

An early greeting to all of you! Sorry, you won't be receiving any gifts from me this year. I only can wish you a happy and wonderful Children's Day 2007!!! Enjoy!!!

All the best to you in your coming examinations!

Happy Studying!

Hello to everyone, I guess you people must be working hard at school preparing for your coming examinations. I hope you are doing your part by doing your own revisions. All the best to you!!! Good luck...

Uninvited Visitors

These are SOME of the uninvited visitors which pop in this evening. They might have lost their way home or they could have lost their home!! Whatever it is, they are in the midst of dying while I am writing this blog entry. Farewell little visitors!!

Poll Results

Which School Uniform(s) do you like best?
Punggol Primary		58% (33)
Yew Tee Primary		2% (1)
Xishan Primary		4% (2)
Haig Girls\' Primary		0% (0)
West Grove Primary		7% (4)
Casuarina Primary		2% (1)
Henry Park Primary		2% (1)
Yu Hua Primary		0% (0)
Marymount Convent		2% (1)
Farrer Park Primary		0% (0)
St. Margaret\'s Primary		0% (0)
Teck Ghee Primary		0% (0)
CHIJ (OLN)		4% (2)
Montfort Junior		2% (1)
Xinmin Primary		14% (8)
Hougang Primary		4% (2)
Yio Chu Kang Primary		0% (0)
Nan Chiau Primary		2% (1)
Holy Innocents\' Primary		0% (0)
None of the Above!!!		0% (0)

Do you like cats or dogs? Which type are you in?
Yes, I am a cat lover!		34% (12)
I don\'t like cats at all.		0% (0)
I am afraid of cats.		6% (2)
I am a dog lover!		14% (5)
I don\'t like dogs at all.		0% (0)
I am afraid of dogs.		3% (1)
I don\'t like cats and dogs.		0% (0)
I like cats more than dogs.		6% (2)
I like dogs more than cats.		11% (4)
I hate animals!!!		26% (9)

Anyone saw this?

I saw this interesting phenomenon over the sky yesterday afternoon, close to 1pm. There was this huge round band of "rainbow" around the sun. It had not rained in the morning and was not raining at that time. Anyone else noticed it? :D

Happy Holiday!!!

It's going to be school holiday again for you people not in P6! Well, you should have known! It is PSLE Oral Exams on Thursday and Friday!!! Only the P6 pupils need to be in school and the rest of you would have to remain at home doing your homework!!! HAHA! I am sure your teachers will prepare some nice homework for you to spend your two days!

For the P6 pupils, I wish you all the best in your coming examinations.

All the best for all your examinations!

A Frightening Experience

Let me relate to you one of my frightening experiences. I would say it was very frightening, but it is an experience which I will remember for life. Well, it was quite a long time ago - more than ten years ago, in fact.

That very evening, I was at the void deck of my friend's block, near the lift landing. I could not remember why I was there. Probably to look for my friend. Anyway, I was at the void deck waiting when I heard a loud "thud" in the direction of the grass patch, just outside the block. Initially, I thought it was somebody's bolster or mattress which had fallen down because it sounded so loud. I did not know what made me walked towards the fallen object. I guess it was out of curiosity, but usually I was not so curious.

Anyway, I guess I should not have walked there. I saw the body of an old lady lying flat on the grass patch just outside the block! Luckily, I did not see her face. But I wondered how she looked like. Suddenly, I felt very cold and something sent shivers up my spine.

I went to a nearby public telephone to call a friend who lived in that block. That time, mobile phones were not so "cheap". My friend picked up the phone, but he did not believe me when I told him about what had happened. So, I told him to look out of his windows to see for himself. I asked him to make a call to the police, but he refused as he was afraid the police would trace the call to his place. In the end, we did not make the call but someone did as the police soon arrived to investigate.

Tanjong Katong

Yesterday, I went to this primary school in Katong. The school looks big but the road leading to the school is very narrow! Anyway, it was not easy to find a particular classroom as the school does not assign the level according to the "storey". For example, you would expect to find the lower levels (Primary One to Three) at the lower storeys, but the classrooms are located all over the places. Sometimes, you can find P5 and P3 classrooms in a stretch, while some P5 and P3 classrooms can be found in another block. It will be hard for someone like me who has never been there before to locate a particular classroom. I guess it will take some time for a new pupil to get used to that school's classroom arrangement. :)


One thing that impressed me was that the school has vending machines which are not commonly found in a primary school. Look at their play area. It looked so big! One other thing is that the school has pupils of different nationalities. Meaning, there are quite a number of pupils from other countries studying there.

A Riddle - Kelly's World!

You're in a place called "Kelly's World"
and there is only one law.
There is a mirror, but no reflection.
There is pizza with cheese, but not sausage.
There is pepper, but no salt.

There is a door, yet no entrance or exit.

So what is the law in Kelly's World?

(Find out the answer in the comments link)

Racial Harmony Day

It is the yearly Racial Harmony Day this Friday. In fact, the actual date should be 21st July, but as it is a Saturday, it will be celebrated on Friday. I guess your "old" traditional costumes are too small or short to be worn. You have better checked and tried on it first before wearing it on Friday.

A Riddle for YOU!

Why do Chickens lay eggs?

click comments for answer.

Third Week of Term Three

Hi, this is the third Monday of the third week of the third term. Sound confusing? Never mind. ;) I understand the P4 (2007) went to the Sarimbun Camp last week. I believe all of you have seen the situation you had last year after you came back from the camp. You must have seen the "litters" of clothes and other personal belongings at the fitness corner. Haha! I guess every year we will have this problem unless someone comes up with a good solution.

Tomorrow is the P6 Prelim Oral. I wish all the P6 pupils all the best in their coming examinations. Good luck!

It's July Now!

Hi, everyone! It's July now. It has been a long time since I last posted here. The vacation or holiday ended quite fast for some of you. Some of you were looking forward to see your friends in the new school term. Well, I met some of them too! Last week, I met Han Yi and Cassandra in the coffeeshop next to the school. Then I saw Jasmine and her brother, Elton. It is a small world. Everyone seems to be taking tuition classes from the same centre.

By the way, I am going back to my camp from tomorrow till the following Friday. My camp is in Sembawang and the name is Chong Pang Camp. It is quite a big camp. I only go there once a year. Sometimes twice.

I hope everyone is learning well in school or tuition centre. Beside that, do continue to keep in touch with your "old" classmates and me. You can always drop me an e-mail if you need my help to solve your problems. I will do my best to help you. :D

How Good is your English?

I found this website that provides a free English test. At the end the test, it will provide you with a report of your level of English. If you want to know how good your English is, go ahead and take the test. There will be a part on listening, so you will need to adjust your speaker's volume. Have fun and learn! :)

http://encarta.englishtown.com/sp/tests/skilltest.aspx#4

Happy Holiday!

How is everybody? I am so sorry I have no time to blog here as I am busy lately conducting enrichment classes at schools and also invigilation for examinations at the Singapore Expo. I hope you are enjoying your holiday while revising your work for the new term. I heard some of you were not so happy in your present classes, but please do not blame your teachers for your poor results. I guess all of you have to work hard on your own beside listening to the teachings. I know most of you have your own tuition teachers to help you with your studies. Remember that the teachers are just there to help you understand the topics or subjects better. They will not be there to take your examination papers. So you will have to LEARN to be more independent and DO more self-study in order to achieve better or even GOOD results. Of course, if you really don't understand a topic or a question, do approach your teacher for help. He or she should be the BEST person to assist you in your studies. If you want MY help in your studies, feel free to e-mail me your questions. I will respond to your questions as soon as possible.

Finally, I wish you all the best in whatever you do!

School Uniform

Hi all, I guess a lot of you are very loyal pupils of the school. You all prefer your school uniform to the other school uniforms. I found out that there was a discussion online with regards to the school uniform. The title was "Why are we wearing school uniform?". The link to the discussion is provided below. Go and see, if you are interested.

http://talkback.stomp.com.sg/forums/showthread.php?t=18109&highlight=school+uniform

Reminder: Please refrain from using "unfriendly" language in the tag boards. I will be removing those "undesirable" messages, and may even ban these people from posting messages in the tag board. Thank you for your cooperation. :)

Which School Uniform do you like best?

Here are some of the schools' uniforms in Singapore that were featured in the Straitstimes today. If you don't know which uniform belongs to which school, please click on the picture below and you will see the names in small prints.

After that, please indicate in the poll on the right and tell me which one you like best. You may click more than one uniforms. In the first picture, the girl on the left is from Yew Tee Primary School. Sorry the name of the school was clipped off when I took the picture.

By the way, the poll for the gathering is now officially closed. The results? Forty-one (or 95% who responded) indicated that they are going, while ONLY two (5% of the responders) said they are not free on that day. Thanks for your attention. I wish you all a happy school holiday and an enjoyable Open House. :)

Open House

Dear all,

I understand that the school's Open House will be on next Saturday, 26th May. It will be from 2pm to 7pm at Harmony Park. I am sure you know where is it. Some of your siblings, relatives, friends, past and present classmates will be performing on that day. So, please lend your support to them. I won't be able to make it for that day, so I hope you will enjoy yourself there. If you can, please take some photographs there and send them to me so that I can post them on the blog.

Have a nice day! :)

Final Call!

This is the final call for those who are interested to attend the gathering during the school's Open House. I would like you to indicate your interest with your name on the tag board. If there are no responses, then I guess you can still go there to see the Open House events. In any case, you can always organise your own gathering with your friends somewhere anytime when you are free to go. I understand that some of you are going to 'gather' with your friends on that day. I hope all of you will still keep in touch with one another in future.

Good luck and all the best to everyone!

Please Collect Your Jewellery Box!

Dear pupils of P4-1(2006), I went back to school and found that some of the jewellery boxes that you made last year had not been collected. If you are one of them, please go to the lockers outside the staff room. Last December, I placed them in the P4-1 locker, but now it has been shifted to the top of lockers. They are very dusty now. Adriana's jewellery box is with me now. It is so beautifully made and yet she doesn't want to collect.

Cute Cat!

This is a cute cat found at the void deck of the block I am staying. It is a very friendly cat which is not afraid of people. Maybe because it is being well looked after by an auntie who is also living in the same block. She would bring cat food for the cat. Mind you, it is really those canned type of cat food, which you can buy at the pet shop or NTUC supermarket.

So how many of you out there like cats? :)

Where to gather?

Hello to all who visit our blog. Anyway, I am appealing to pupils of P4-1(2006) and P3-1(2005) to share their thoughts and memories in the two years. Just let me know by sending me an e-mail to my hotmail account. In case you don't remember, it's kiaguan2@hotmail.com.

After I received your e-mail address, I will send you an e-mail through Blogger to provide you with an account to make your posting on this blog. While you may blog or tag your messages here, please remember not to insult or embarrass any of your friends. I will bar you from further blogging or messenging.

Back to the gathering topic. Many expressed interest to meet up with your classmates of P4-1(2006) through the survey. I suggest you all could meet up on the school's Open House on 26th May next month. It will be easier since some of you have to go there to help up or perform. It will also be easier to ask your parents' permission since it is a school function. What do you all think? Please feedback through the discussion board. Thank you.

Class Gathering!

Hi to all! Someone actually suggested the idea of having a class gathering, but I wonder whether it will be successful since most of the pupils do not visit the class blog anymore. :(

Anyway, I have set up a polling station to gather opinions from all of you. If you are keen or interested to attend such a gathering, please indicate your interesting in the Polling Station. Those who would like to contribute their ideas for the gathering, please post your suggestions in the Gathering Discussion tag board. I can also set up another poll to gather opinions based on your feedback in the discussion.

By the way, remember Chong Kai Jun who was in P3-1(2005)? She was transferred to Tanjong Katong Primary School last year. Her birthday is on the 21st April. You may like to wish her a happy birthday. The other pupil, Aqil, was transferred to another school in Ang Mo Kio. Does anyone here keep in touch with him?

Good Friday!

Today is Good Friday. What is Good Friday? Do you know? Is everyone having a good Good Friday today? I guess it will be just another holiday for most of you, unless you are a Christian or Catholic who will probably be going to your church for prayers.

Well, this coming Sunday will Easter Day. And do you know what is Easter Day? Why do some people celebrate Easter Day? If you ask a Christian or Catholic, he or she will probably tell you that this day is very special and important for them. So what is so special about Easter Day? Isn't it just a day when we paint eggs with different colours and eat chocolates in the shape of eggs? Is it really about bunnies and eggs on Easter Day? Hmmm...

Anyone interested to know? Let me know. Okay? Then I will reveal the answers or get an expert to share the answers. Till then, enjoy your Good Friday and Easter Day! :D

Rumours rumours!

I was told by Kimberly that Jonathan was transferred out of the school but today Han Yi told me otherwise. Hmmm... was it another rumour? Anyway, I hope he will go to the special school which is meant to help him in his kind of condition. I guess he will miss a lot of friends (especially the girls) who have taken good care of him during his stay in the school. The boys did their part by helping him to the washroom. I also did my part too! I shall not mention here.

I understand that some of you like to spread rumours about who likes who in the class or school. Please keep it to yourself or your group of friends. It is not nice to point finger at the person and say "you like who and who". I don't think anyone would enjoy that kind of attention from you. So keep the fingers to yourself. You may not have realised that when you point a finger at someone, there are four fingers pointing back at you. :D

Happy Birthday to ALL!

Yesterday was Lok Jun Da's birthday. I was reminded of it by someone who wrote in her online journal. It also reminds me to wish all of the birthday boys and girls whose birthdays fall on January, February and March. These are their birthdays, if you do not know yet...
(I also included the other pupils' birthday).

Starting from the oldest pupil,

Queenie - 3rd Jan
Ding Jun - 16th Jan
Tan Jun Da - 19th Jan
Adriana - 20th Jan

Hifzhan - 4th Feb
Tamara - 9th Feb
Hamzah - 14th Feb

Yan Zhi - 5th March
Ferdous - 8th March
Elaine - 16th March
Lok Jun Da - 2oth March
Filbert - 21st March
Joelle - 26th March
Mr Ng - 31st March

Cassandra & NurFarhana- 3rd April

Shirley - 2nd May
Mayber - 18th May

Fann - 10th June
Sang Siang - 18th June
Nazihah - 21st June
Shizhen - 26th June

Mabelence - 10th July
Bryan - 19th July
Kaevinn - 20th July
Jerald - 26th July
Jonathan - 28th July
Kimberly - 30th July

Sharlene - 21st August

Shandy - 1st Sept
Raja - 13th Sept
Ashley - 15th Sept
Kai Xian - 23rd Sept
Trina - 25th Sept

Syahirah - 7th October
Jasmine - 19th October
Alvina - 31st October

Wee Liang - 23rd November
Gin - 25th November
Cordelia - 30th November

Han Yi - 10th December

I hope I got the names and birthdays correct.
By the way, Kimberly told me that Jonathan had been transferred to another school since 19th March. Let's wish him all the best in his new school.

Hello Everyone!

Fifteen days of lunar new year celebration is coming to an end. I hope most of you have collected enough ang baos to buy the things you like or better, save the money in your piggy bank or bank account to earn more money. I realised that there are less and less people visiting this class blog. So sad... Nobody here is blogging anymore... I also found that the blogs listed here are no longer updated. Most probably the owners are too busy in school to spare time blogging.


Anyway, I have a quiz for those of you who visit this blog. See the picture below? It was taken on Saturday, 24th February. I would like to see who can guess the place taken correctly. No prizes though. Maybe next time I put up some prizes for the correct answer. :D

Happy Lunar New Year!

I hope everyone has enjoyed the new year concert in school and the lunar new year holiday. Not all of you will be celebrating the lunar new year, but it is definitely a holiday for all of you. Anyway, the picture above was taken just after 12 midnight on Lunar New Year Eve in Chinatown. Do you notice the firework in the background?

Thank Joelle for calling me while I was watching the firework every year! It was quite noisy so I was unable to talk to you for long.

Happy Valentine's Day!

This is Garfield and Pooh. Garfield is my favourite cat and Pooh is his good friend.
They are spending this Valentine's Day together... :)

Friends forever!

A Horrid Sighting At Void Deck

This was what was left of the stuff toy, Garfield, which horribly beheaded, as you can see from the picture. It was found near the rubbish chute below the block.

Well, I went to search for its head. I found the head some ten metres away from the body. It was laying on the pavement of a jogging track.

Luckily, it was just a stuff toy. Sadly, it is such a cruel thing to do!

Class Forum

Dear all,

I have set up a Class Forum at http://classforum.editboard.com/index.htm

I have posted a topic of my own there for your discussion. You may want to post a new topic for everyone to discuss there. If you are posting a new topic, just start a new topic and not continue the previous discussion.

Thank you.

Posting A Letter?

Hi, it has been a long time since I last posted. It seems no one else would like to post his or her blog here. If you would like to become a member of the Class Blogger Team, please drop me an e-mail or tag your e-mail address and name on the Tag Board.

Anyway, today, I went to the post office to post a letter. I wanted to buy a postage label from the self-service SAM machine but I forgot how much was the postage for a standard mail. I tried searching for the postage rate at the SAM machine and around the post office but I could not find any information on how much I was supposed to pay! The only postage rate displayed was the non-standard postage rate for those odd-size packages. I remembered the postage rate for local mail was raised last month. I did not want to make a guess for the postage, so I went to queue up at the counter to buy some stamps. I requested for the NVI (Non-Value Indicator) stamps as these stamps do not show the value of each stamp. So, even if the postal agency raised the postage rate again, I could still use those stamps.

Finally, for your information, the postage fee for a standard mail is twenty-five cents (but cannot be more than 20g) currently.

My Son's First Day in School

Hi everybody,

Sorry, nothing to post other than my son's first day in his school.

Actually he went to a playgroup, but it was his first time in a group learning environment.

He was very afraid, and still is very scared, when he was left alone without me. So, I have to be near him every minute and every second! He would look back to check that I was still behind him. :P

Wednesday was his Orientation Day, so no lesson at all. It was the parents and guardians who had to listen to the teacher talking about the things to do and look out for. Also, she mentioned the holidays, the rules and when to pay for this and that. Of course, I had to buy uniforms for him. It was a red shirt with the words "Apply Tree" printed on the front and a pair of red long pants.

On Thursday, he learned about the colour 'RED' and that the apple was red in colour. The teacher played a few songs for them to sing along, but he did not sing at all. He tried to follow them with the clapping. Well, it was his first day. What do you expect? :D

The lesson continued with the teacher showing the children how to hold a crayon and colour the picture of an apple. The children were divided into two groups - one group sat on the chair with a table and started their colouring while the remaining children sat on the floor to play the plastic building blocks. The teacher and her assistant would be at the table helping and making sure the children coloured the apple using a red-coloured crayon properly. Well, my boy did a pretty good job (see photograph) and the teacher allowed him to colour the leaf on the apple green. I must tell you I did not help him with the colouring at all. I just sat behind him. :)

At the end of the day, each of the children got an apple to bring home. Anxiously, he got me to cut the apple and he ate the WHOLE apple the moment he stepped back into the house!

Today is Friday. The teacher refreshed the children's memory by playing the same songs again and talked about the previous day's learning - the colour 'RED' and the apple. This time, the teacher brought in some strawberries to show them. Oh, by the way, the teacher's name is Mdm Rahimah. The assistant teacher is Auntie Lim. The children were taught to take a strawberry and pass to a friend next to them after looking at it. Then, the teacher taught them how to paste small pieces of red-coloured crepe paper on a picture of a strawberry with glue. The children were divided into two groups again. One group would do the pasting on the table while the other group would play wooden building blocks (different from the previous day) on the floor. After that, the teacher would play some songs before dimissing them home. Well, there was no strawberry to bring home this time!

I think next week he will learn the next colour 'YELLOW'. Maybe he will get to bring home something yellow next week. What do you think he will bring back? Anyone would like to guess or give your comments? :D

Happy First Day in School!

Dear Pupils of P4-1(2006),

It's a new year for all of you. I hope everyone is settling down in your new class with some new friends. I heard a few of you went to the wrong class today. :P I also heard that some of you needed to change your class on the first day. I must clarify that the list of class allocation was correct at the time I posted on the blog. I guess the school has changed a bit on the allocation of the classes.

So far, I have heard three of your ex-classmates who have gotten the Good Progress Award for last year. They are:

1) Joelle Sim
2) Tamara
3) Shirley Yeoh

I hope you can update me if you know anyone else who has received that Award.
Once again, congratulations to all who have gotten the Good Progress Award!
You have progressed! I hope you can keep up the good work for this year. :)

For the other pupils who did not get it, do work harder this year.
All the best in your new classes!